Apollo's Mistake
by Apollofan210
Summary: Apollo was bored on Olympus. So he decides to go visit his kids. What he doesnt know is that it's the worst possible time to visit.
1. Chapter 1

Apollo was bored. Annoying Artemis has become tiresome for the day, and absolutely nobody wanted to listen to another one of his poems.

No one appreciates his wonderful haikus. So he decided that it was time to see someone who would. His children! They always loved his haikus, no matter what everyone else says. Maybe they'll feel up to singing a song with him.

So, true to his word, Apollo teleports in a flash of bright light to his cabin.

Martin was having a bad day, a very bad day. His brothers and sister always tried to cheer him up on this day, but their attempts were always futile. So here he is, left alone in cabin #7 because his siblings decided to give him space.

_I don't know why they even bother_. Martin thought.

Suddenly in a bright flash that nearly blinded him, appeared the one person responsible for his mood today. His father.

Apollo observed his surroundings, confused at why his cabin is so quiet today. Usually his children are always making some kind of noise, whether it was from singing to dancing around to music.

_I know I'm in the right cabin_. He thought. Then out the corner of his eye he recognized a lone figure sitting on a bed. "Hey Marty." He says in his usually cheerful tone. What he didn't expect was the glare he received from his son.

"What do you want?" Martin sneered.

Apollo was shocked, sure he wasn't the best parent but his kids were usually excited to see him, they know that as a god he has duties and that he can't be an active part in their lives. He knows that in all of them there is a part that is furious with him, but they don't actually show their hate or disgust because they're so happy to see him there.

"What's wrong Martin? Did something happen? Why are you here alone?" Apollo asked.

Something he didn't expect was the intensity of the glare to increase even more, hatred practically leaking out of his son's eyes.

"If you don't already know you don't deserve to know." Martin sneered.

He couldn't believe the audacity of this _bastard _showing his face here especially on this day.

"Martin I know I'm not exactly your favorite person-"He starts before Martin cuts him off.

"My _favorite_ person?" Martin asks with barely restrained anger. "You don't even know what today is! You're exactly at the _bottom_ of my _least_ favorite person list!" He shouts.

Apollo was surprised. He never saw Martin act this way during his previous visits. He was always quiet and usually took no part in the activities his cabin does when he's there._ What has gotten into him?_ Apollo thought.

"Where is all of this coming from?" Apollo asked. This is really confusing to him. None of his kids ever yelled at him.

"Fuck you!" Was his immediate response from the teenager.

Now Apollo was the one getting angry. You don't talk to a god like that, let alone your own father.

"Listen, I don't know what has gotten into you but what I do know is that you will show respect to me, not only am I a god but I am your father you-"He wasn't able to finish his speech since Martin cut in again. This time with nothing but rage and hate in his voice.

"My _father_? _Respect?_ You don't deserve a damn thing from me since you're the one who ruined my life!" He yells. "Today is the anniversary of my mother's death! You would think a father would give his condolences to his child even if she was just a bed warmer for a few months!" He screams with tears of anger and sadness flowing down his face.

Apollo was stunned. He had absolutely no idea Martin's mother had died, hell he can't even remember what she looked like or what her name was. He started regretting coming to his cabin today.

"I'm so sorry Martin. I had absolutely no idea" He says guiltily.

He notices that this does absolutely nothing for his son's anger. In fact, he would say it has gotten even worst if that was even possible.

Martin laughed emotionlessly and said "You should, you're the reason she's dead." He doesn't know why he couldn't stop talking, but he feels that it was long overdue that he voiced his feelings out to the one man he hates more than anything or anyone. "Mom decided she didn't want to live a life without the man she fell in love with." He pauses, taking a deep breathe to keep from crying. "I remember that night clear as day. She went on and on about how wonderful my father was, how charming he was, how much she misses him, how much she loved him. Wondering why he left her." He snorts at the last thing. "She broke down right in front of me, crying her eyes out. I tried my best to make her feel better, giving her a big hug whispering to her that it's going to be okay. She hugged me back and at the time I thought she was going to be fine, but now I realize why her hug was so tight, like she was afraid to let me go." A sob escapes his lips but he continues. "She tucked me in like always, gave me a kiss goodnight and went to her room. Just as I was falling to sleep I hear this loud POP!"

Apollo doesn't need to hear anymore to know how it ends. He can't stop the sadness and guilt that's flowing through him right now. He can't imagine what his son went through in his life after such a traumatic moment and it pains him to see Martin breaking down in front of him because of _him_.

"Martin, stop." He pleads.

Martin continues as if he didn't say anything "As a child you get very curious about the smallest things. So you can guess that I couldn't resist not going to see what happen, to see if mom was alright. When I got to her room she wasn't alright, lying next to her body was a gun and under her body was the blood from shooting herself in the head!" He half-yells half-sobs. "I don't know how long, but I spent hour sitting there shaking her, yelling at her to wake up, but she wouldn't." He whispers sadly but quickly composing himself and taking a deep breathe. "The rest is nothing but a blur; someone heard me crying and calling my mom's name repeatedly next door and came to see what happened. Next thing I know I'm shipped off to the closest orphanage. There's my story, I hope you're proud of yourself." He finished snidely, storming out of the cabin.

What he failed to see was the lone tear sliding down his father's face.


	2. Chapter 2

Everyone was arguing, which is actually a normal day on Olympus. The typical childish arguments they always have. Poseidon and Athena arguing over Athens, Zeus and Hera about his many infidelities. The usual stuff.

What wasn't normal was the fact that no one was interrupted to be forced to listen to a horrible haiku.

No one noticed but his sister Artemis.

"What's wrong with you Apollo?" She asks.

"Huh? Oh nothing's wrong" He replies.

Artemis knows this is a lie. He usually starts off with a "hey little sis" or bothering her about her hunters, starting up their usual banter. This is completely out of character for her brother.

"Stop lying Apollo. I know you; you haven't said anything since we've been here. That never happens; you haven't even recited one of your stupid haikus." She says.

Now they have the entire room's attention.

"Yeah why are you so depressed today?" Hermes asks.

Apollo really didn't want to tell any of them about what happened the other day with his son. They wouldn't know what to say, they barely see their own children.

"I'm not depressed, I'm just thinking about some things." He lies. It wasn't entirely a lie, he has been thinking about what Martin said and the guilt is eating him alive.

"Just thinking? Since when do you think Apollo?" Artemis quips.

"It's none of your business Artemis." He responds.

Everyone is surprised at his response. This is the first time he hasn't responded with another insult, and he replied by calling her by her name. They can't remember the last time he actually used her name.

"Okay this must be serious. What's wrong Apollo?" His sister demands.

"I keep telling you nothing is wrong." His reply this time sounds slightly irritated.

Apparently this wasn't the answer everyone wanted. So they kept bugging him about it.

"Come on you can tell us. Is it a woman? Are you in love?" Aphrodite asks.

"Please. _Apollo_ in love? Did you hear your question before you asked it?" Ares asks.

"Shut up Ares, everyone is capable of loving another" Aphrodite states angrily.

"Do you need more cereal?" Everyone rolls their eyes at Demeter.

"Guys, it's not a woman and no I don't need cereal. I already told you I'm just thinking things over." Apollo says exasperatedly. Receiving a pout from Demeter.

_Why can't they all just mind their own business?_ He thinks. Since when have they cared about what's going on in his life?

"Thinking what over? Just tell us because we're just going to bother you until you confess." Hermes smirks.

"Then I guess you'll have to wait until I'm annoyed enough to tell you. So just shut your damn mouth!" He snaps. Annoyance and anger clear in his tone.

Everyone raises their eyebrows at this. Whatever is going on must be bad if Apollo is angry. It's never a good thing when he is angry.

"Apollo." Artemis says with worry in her voice.

"I'm _fine!_ I can handle my own problems. So just leave me alone!" He shouts storming out of the throne room. Leaving the others flabbergasted by his actions and words.

He is even surprised by how he is acting. One mortal's death shouldn't affect him in this way. He has been responsible for many other deaths in the past so why does this one bother him so much?

Maybe it's because this one is his child's mother. Or the fact that his son absolutely hates him may be what's really bothering him. He doesn't really know what to think. Do all his other kids feel the same way because he wasn't there for the majority of their lives? He didn't think him having a little fun with a few women could have such effects.

He's a failure of a father, he knows. He hasn't kept up with most of his children's lives before they got to the camp other than visiting at least once to tell their mothers about Camp Half-Blood and warning them about the dangers of having the child of a god. Other than that he doesn't really pay attention to them until they're at the camp.

Maybe he should apologize or do something to receive their forgiveness. Maybe talk to them? He doesn't know. _This is so damn confusing_. He thinks. His mind keeps going back to Martin and how he feels about him. He doesn't know how to talk to kids. He isn't exactly the most mature god. He has no one to go to for advice. He doesn't expect anything good from the others because that would be a waste of time. Maybe he'll come up with something as time goes by.

What he does know is that he'll try his best.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey :) I didn't really expect people to like this story. The encouragement is greatly appreciated.**

**I think I'm gonna go back and forth on who I write about. So next chapter will be back to Apollo and probably up by Tuesday.**

**Please keep reviewing and thanks :)**

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"I can't believe you were stupid enough to say all of that!" His brother, Will shouts.

Martin knew he shouldn't have told his siblings about what happened the other day with their dad. He was already regretting making that decision. They didn't take too well to him yelling at their father, most were concerned about what might happen to him. A few, like Will, were angry at him for being so disrespectful to their daddy.

"I lost control! I didn't want to say all of that. I saw him standing there and I just lost it." He says irritated. He knows how stupid his mistake was, but they weren't making it any better by constantly reminding him.

"Will, lay off! Leave him alone, we have bigger things to worry about!" Kayla exclaims.

"Yeah, have you heard the stories of what dad gave as punishments to others in the past? It's pretty scary thinking of what might happen to Marty." His other brother Alex says.

He didn't really think this whole thing through. He completely forgot about his father's rather unpleasant punishments to those who anger him. That brought a lot of unsettling thoughts to his head. _Thanks Alex. _He thought.

"I really should've just kept my mouth shut." He says putting his head in his hands.

"And do what Marty? Let the anger at our father eat away at you? You've been miserable and depressed for years despite the little mask you put up. Maybe this could be a good thing. Maybe dad isn't angry. You wouldn't be standing here right now if he was." Another one of his siblings, Austin, says. At least there were a few who were on his side.

"Are you really condoning what he did?" Will asks, exasperated.

"No, I'm not. I'm just stating facts. If dad was mad Marty would be dead right now." Austin responds.

Martin never took that into consideration. His dad would've turned him to burnt demigod the moment he finished his rant if he was truly pissed off. If it isn't anger his dad is feeling then what is it?

"Besides you need to chill out and give him a break. Everyone at this camp has some anger at their parents for one reason or another. Imagine if we were in Marty's shoes. Would you honestly be able to hold such anger back if your mom committed suicide over a lie?" Austin asks.

This seems to shut Will up. He just shook his head and sat back down on his bed.

"Don't worry Marty everything's going to be okay." Kayla says, even though she doesn't seem completely sure herself.

"I'm going to go take a walk for a little while." He states heading to the door. He needs to think some things through.

Why didn't his father just end his life right then and there? All he had to do was snap his fingers and poof, he's gone. Could it possibly be that he actually cared about him? _No._ He thinks. _He wouldn't have abandoned me like he did._ _He would've actually shown up sometime during my life. Especially after mom's death._ _So, no he probably doesn't care about me. She was just another one of his flings and I was the disastrous result of that fling._

However, deep in his heart he thinks he's wrong. He can't seem to come up with any other explanation. His dad is a very confusing god. _He doesn't show up during our lives before we come to camp, but as soon as we get here he takes it upon himself to make visits to see us?_ It's just all so confusing to him.

He needs something to take his mind off of his father. Archery, music, and watching the sunset are all things he enjoys to do but they all are just reminders so they're all a big no.

He could always pay a visit to the Aphrodite cabin. But then that would make him just like his father: having flings with any girl he sets his eyes on.

_This is going nowhere. Everything I want to do just ends with reminding me of him. _He thinks, becoming frustrated.

The only thing he can do is talk about it. If he can't take his mind off of it the only thing he can do is solve the problem. The only way to do that is to have a talk with his dear ole dad.

_Yeah like that's going to happen._ He snorts. Is that the best thing he can come up with? If that's the only thing that would help, how would he go about things? He didn't have to say it out loud but it was no secret that his father knew he hated his guts.

Maybe he should've stayed at the cabin with the others. He didn't really like this "thinking things through" plan. He'll eventually come up with something along the way; he just needs a little more time to think.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok here's chapter 4. I hope you like it :)**

**Please read & review. It really helps.**

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Apollo did a lot of thinking while trying to come up with a solution to his current situation. He didn't come up with anything good. He would need some help on this, but who could he go to?

Zeus is completely out of the question. Poseidon only has one demigod son who doesn't hate him. Aphrodite could be a candidate maybe? Ares? No, he's too aggressive to even understand something like this. Demeter would suggest that cereal would solve his problem. He despises Hera for what she tried to do to his mother. Athena, even though the goddess of wisdom, might not be much help in this category. He can count out the others too.

Artemis won't understand because she doesn't have any children. Going to her might be a waste of time.

That's when he realized he forgot someone. Hestia! She was the goddess of family and some other stuff he couldn't recall at the moment.

_I'm such an idiot!_ He thinks ready to hit his head on a wall in shame and embarrassment. She would know what to do. Why didn't he think of her in the first place? He knows the answer immediately. Hestia is so quiet all the time, even during meetings, so it's pretty easy forgetting that she even exists. She prefers to not be noticed.

So, deciding to go look for her, Apollo prayed that she would have something good to say. If not, then he was completely screwed.

Finding her on Mount Olympus wasn't pretty difficult. Especially for someone who seems to be practically invisible to everyone.

"Hey, Hestia? I need to ask you something." Apollo says.

"What is it Apollo?" Slightly surprised to see him after his little outburst the last time she saw him.

"I need some advice." He states.

She's confused at first, but nods and waves for him to continue.

"It's about my children. I need some, uh, help." He says hesitantly.

"Your children?" She asked. Very confused that one of the other gods wanted advice on their children. They usually don't pay much attention to them. (Something she doesn't like very much, but she can't force them to care.)

"Yeah. I had made a visit to my cabin a few days ago and I had a little discussion with one of my sons." He says, scratching the back of his neck.

"So this is what was bothering you at the last meeting?" She asks.

"Yeah." He replies.

"Well, if you want my help with that you're going to have to tell me the whole story." She answers.

He is very reluctant at first, but soon gives in and tells her about his visit. How his son hated him, about what he inadvertently done to cause said hatred, and how he can't seem to get over it and the guilt he feels.

Her confusion then turns to understanding after he is done.

"I understand now. So you came to me to get the best solution to this issue?" She asks.

He nods.

There is a long pause as Hestia thinks of something that might be able to help her nephew.

Apollo feels nervous. She's the goddess of family right? She should have at least _something_ that could help.

After a few more minutes she speaks "Well, I can't seem to think of anything to resolve the issue concerning his mother other than saying that you're sorry. If you are sincere about it he may still hold this grudge against you for a few years. That's all the help I can give on that." She says.

Sorry? How was he going to say sorry? "Hey I'm sorry your mother killed herself because of her depression, which she got because I used her and left when I got bored." Yeah that might take some time to get the words right. Although this ran through his mind he did not interrupt Hestia and listened to the rest.

"You will _never_ get back the years that you missed of his life. However, you can start now. It's like what those mortals say: _better late than never._ Show him that you're a caring father. Show him how much you love him. Bond with him." She says wisely.

He's shocked. He expected a lot of things for her to say, but not this. He puts his head down and for the second time that day he wanted to bang his head on a wall. It's embarrassing that he couldn't come up with something so incredibly, simple. _Why couldn't I think of something like that?_ He thinks.

"I suggest you do this with _all_ your children." She says expectantly.

His head snaps up. Wait what?

"Huh?" He questioned.

"You heard me. You must do this with all your children. You have the time. Besides if you do this with just the one child, you will subject that child to jealousy from his other siblings. This will eventually lead him to being an outcast. They will begin to treat him badly because they would believe that you don't love them as much as you do him. From what I heard, the camp is his home. To be an outcast in your own home would be terrible for him." She finishes, sadness slightly noticeable in her tone.

He's too busy thinking to hear the tone of her voice. _All_ _of them?_ He thinks incredulously. One already seemed challenging enough, but every single one? He doesn't know if he can do it.

Hestia studies him while he's thinking. She sees the disbelief on his face at the advice, but it must be done if he truly cares for them.

He stops his thoughts and says "Thanks Hestia. I need to go think this through before I do anything else." Then promptly walks out the door.

She hopes he takes her advice and fixes things. Something like this might encourage the others to try and connect with their offspring. Hopefully he'll make the right choice.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay! Here is Chapter 5. **

**Please read & review. Thanks :)**

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Today was the day, unfortunately. Today he will go back to his cabin and explain to his son that they will go on a "bonding trip". He was dreading it really. Never has he been so nervous about anything in his life.

He still doesn't know what he was going to say. It's been a few days since his talk with Hestia and he still doesn't have everything figured out. He never thought thinking could cause so much confusion. _I really don't like this thinking thing. Is this what Athena actually does for a living? I feel bad for making all those jokes now_. He thought.

He sighs. He doesn't feel prepared to go down there yet, but he knows that he will keep stalling if he doesn't go now.

Having made up his mind, he disappears in a flash of light.

The Apollo cabin was back to its cheerful mood again: singing, dancing, goofing around. After a few days of Martin still being there, alive and well, the mood began to lighten again, even though there were a few who still carried a worried look in their eyes. Everything seemed to be back to normal...

Until a bright flash signaling them of their fathers arrival halted all activities.

Apollo stared at his children, surprised that no one was smiling. In fact, it looked like all their smiles dropped when he arrived. No one rushed to his side to hug him, no cries of "dad" in a excited tone. It was all so new to him, and what was that look on their faces? Fear? What are they afraid of? What are they scared of?

"Dad?" Will asked in disbelief.

He might as well get this over with. This wasn't actually one of his casual visits.

"Hey kids. I'm not really here to have any fun today. I wanted to talk to Martin, in private." He said.

At this everyone looked at Martin, who looked as if he glanced at Medusa and was turned into stone, completely still with a look of horror on his face.

"Uh, ok." Was the only thing Will could say.

Everyone began to stand and walk to the door. Austin, however, got down on his knees, looking as if he were about to cry.

"Please don't zap Marty dad! What he did was really stupid and he is so sorry about all the things he said to you! Please don't kill him! Don't take my big brother away!" Austin begged, letting out a hysterical sob at the end of his rant.

The others looked completely horrified by what he did. Apollo, however, was confused.

"Austin, what are you talking about?" Apollo asked.

After a few seconds his son seemed to calm down enough to answer him "We heard all the stories about what you do to those who anger you. We don't want you to do that to him." He said, tears falling down his face.

Apollo felt ashamed, even his children were terrified of him. Is that what they thought of him? _Are they so afraid of me that they hide how they truly feel?_ He mused. He'll get back to that later.

He sighs. This just adds to the long list of things he has to fix with them. _Great. _He thinks.

"Is this why you looked so afraid when I showed up?" They all nodded. "Well you don't have to worry about me doing that to Martin. All I want to do is talk." He says.

This doesn't reassure them all. Some still look afraid. Most of the looks he is receiving now are looks of curiosity. Austin seems extremely relieved by this.

"So, you're not going to punish him for what he said?" His daughter, Kayla he thinks, said.

"No, I'm not going to do anything to him. I just want to talk to him. Now that that's clear, can you guys give us some privacy?" He asked.

At this all of them began to shuffle towards the door again.

Once the door was closed nothing could be heard but silence.

Apollo's mind came up blank. He can't think of anything to say. This is what he was afraid of.

After a few minutes, Martin decided to start of their conversation.

"What did you want to talk about?" Martin asked, already knowing the answer.

Apollo thought he might as well tell him everything.

"I was thinking about everything that you said that day and I couldn't get it out of my head. It occupied my every thought. I just can't stand the thought of one of my children hating me so much." Martin opened his mouth ready to protest but he stopped him. "Don't deny it. You made it pretty clear how you felt about me, but honestly I can't blame you. I'm a horrible father, I know that. I'm here to fix that." He finishes. _Well that wasn't so hard to say._ He thought. He still didn't get to the hard part yet.

Well this wasn't what Martin thought was going to happen. He thought he was going to demand an apology or something.

Martin was quiet. Fix it? How was he going to fix it?

"What do you mean fix it?" He asked.

Apollo exhaled. "I went to Hestia and asked her to help me find a way to help improve our relationship. She suggested that we bond." He finishes.

Martin raised an eyebrow. "Bond?" He didn't know whether his father was playing a joke on him or being serious. He was torn between laughing or leaving his mouth open in disbelief.

"Yeah, bond. She suggested that we spend some time together." He replies.

Before Martin gives an answer he thought about his siblings. He narrowed his eyes. "What about the others?" He asked

"I plan on doing this thing with all of you, separately of course." Apollo says. He doesn't exactly like the idea. This will take forever; he will obviously have to make up for lost time. Depending on how many kids he has, he has _a lot_ of making up to do.

This surprised his son obviously. "All of us? Why separately?" He asked, still shocked.

"Because I want to get to know my kids _separately. _That's hard to do when you're all together. Each of you has separate issues with me, obviously. I would rather address these issues while we are alone." He answered.

Martin doesn't know where this sudden change of heart came from. It can't all be from that talk they had. _What is he up to?_ He thinks. No god shows up asking to bond with you. He's never heard of that one before.

Figuring he doesn't have a choice he says "Oh, well when are we leaving? Where are we going? We can't exactly bond here." Hopefully his dad didn't think this all through.

"I'll figure out where we are going by Saturday. Be ready by then." And just like that, he disappears in a flash of golden light.

_Damn._ He thinks. Today was Wednesday. He only had a few days to prepare. Why couldn't his dad have chosen next Saturday? Or the one next month? He isn't exactly looking forward to this little "trip".

Now all he has to do is tell the others. _Oh joy._ He thinks.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok Here's chapter 6 **

**Please Read & Review**

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"He said he wants to go bond with you?"

"I can't believe he chose _you _to go bonding with first! Why couldn't it be me? I have daddy issues too!"

"This isn't fair! You don't even like him and he chooses you first!?"

This is what he had to deal with ever since he told his brothers and sisters about the little trip he and their father will be going on. Some were confused or didn't make a big deal out of it, while most were jealous of him. He doesn't know why though, it's not like he begged dad to choose him first. Hell, he doesn't even want to go. The only reason he's going is the fact that everything will just get worst if he refused. He would gladly let one of them take his place if it was an option.

So here he is waiting for his father to come get him. Occasionally receiving the glares he got over the past few days. It's really starting to annoy him at how petty their being. They'll all eventually get their turn anyway.

"You never told us where you guys will be going." One of his siblings stated.

He sighs. It's like that's the only thing they could talk about lately.

"That's because I don't know yet. He said he'll choose a place by today." He says. "Can we please not talk about this trip right now? I'm a little tired of hearing about it." He asked. 'Little' was a bit of an understatement, but it would probably be best if only he knows that.

He received a bunch of mumbled answers and they all stayed quiet.

A few minutes passed by and it stayed that way until his father showed up in a flash of light.

Apollo arrived at his cabin with a wide smile on his face. It dropped as soon as he saw his kid's faces. Some smiled and said hello, while others looked at him with a little anger and others stared at Martin with envy.

_What's wrong with them now?_ He asked himself. His cabin is known for being cheerful, but lately he's seen every emotion _but_ cheerfulness.

"Hey guys." He says brightly.

His answer was a few reciprocated greetings and a bunch of mumbled ones.

He watched as Martin stood up and walked over to him with his suitcase.

"So, where are we going?" His son asked.

"I want it to be a surprise when we get there." He said with a smile. He placed his hand on his shoulder, ready to take them to their destination.

"I guess I'll see you guys later." Martin said waving goodbye to his siblings. He didn't receive many enthusiastic goodbyes.

They both disappeared in a flash of light.

When Martin opened his eyes again, he saw that he and his father were standing in a large living room, a huge flat screen in front of him, a couch, a coffee table, and a loveseat. He can't remember the last time he's been in a room like this. He stays at the camp all year round.

"I hope you like it." His dad said in a hopeful tone.

He did like it. He smiles when he moved the curtain on a window and saw a perfect view of a beach. He should've known his father would choose a place like this.

"So, where are we?" He asked.

His father took a long pause, possibly for a dramatic effect, he guessed.

"Welcome, to Florida!" His dad exclaimed opening the curtains on the windows.

He rolled his eyes. The Sunshine State? How cliché can he get?

"I wish you would have told me earlier. I don't exactly have that many shorts and I have no swimming trunks." He stated.

"Well I guess we'll have to go shopping." His dad said with a wide smile.

They spent six hours shopping for clothes. Well he spent half that time shopping while his father spent the other half by flirting with girls and wasting time, he is the one paying for all this stuff so he can't walk away. It was honestly starting to piss him off.

They can't take five steps without some female coming over to flirt, ask for their numbers, or simply stand together in a group whispering and giggling while looking in their direction. It didn't help that his dad looked the same age as him, they could pass as twins.

Sure, he was always told he was handsome back at camp, but it was all new to him having all these girls throw themselves at his feet. All he had to do was flash a smile and spew out a bunch of bullshit words and they would willingly fall into his bed. Tempting, but he isn't there to have meaningless flings with these girls. However, his father had absolutely had no problem taking advantage of their naivety. This is what really angered him. They were here to 'bond' not knock up some young girls and ruin their lives.

Apollo lost count at how many women he exchanged his number with. He smirked at his achievement. That was until he saw his son face. He was the victim of a very deadly looking glare. _What did I do now? _He thought.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Is that what you did to mom? Flash a dazzling smile, flirt a little, exchange numbers, screw each other for a little while, you bail, and then leave behind a baby?" Martin asked furiously

Apollo mentally slapped himself. Maybe he shouldn't have done all of that in front of him.

"I mean, I've already come to terms that you get around a lot, I have plenty of siblings to remind me of that, but don't you think your pushing it by doing that in front of one of your kids?" Martin asked

He didn't wait for an answer. He stomped away before Apollo could give an answer.

_This is going to be challenging._ He thought to himself. How was he going to fix this problem? He groaned. He ruins everything!


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry it took me so long to update. I hope you like this chapter.**

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He is never going to make any progress if he keeps makings things worse, even if he doesn't mean it. Ever since they came back from the mall, his son has done nothing but ignore him. If he walked into the room, Martin would get up and leave. If he tried to start up a conversation, Martin would just sit there as if he didn't hear him. He thought he was getting somewhere when they arrived. He was wrong.

He doesn't know what to do. This is beginning to feel repetitive to him. He has been nothing but confused lately. He can't just up and leave to go get some advice, which probably wouldn't be a good idea. So he has to depend on himself to come up with something. He's not very confident in that though. He isn't the type to have long emotional talks; he wouldn't even know where to start. His son apparently has the same issue.

He wanted to do something, not just sit in and watch T.V. He wanted to go to the beach. He wanted to call one of those girls he met and have a good time. He shook his head at that. That was what got him into this in the first place. Still, he was bored. He had nothing to do, and he was too dedicated to just give up. He knows that leaving his son here alone while he went out would just create more problems. Going to his room and dragging him out wouldn't work either, no matter how appealing it may be.

That only leaves one solution: talk to him.

Why does everything have to go back to talking? He isn't good with that. He usually lets his actions speak for him, but that obviously isn't going to be any good here.

Making up his mind he decided he was going to have a talk with Martin.

Getting up and walking to the bedroom felt like one of the longest walks he ever took. He doesn't know why he feels this way every time he is getting ready to talk to his son. _I shouldn't be so nervous. I'm a god, gods shouldn't feel like this._ He thought. Still, repeating that in his mind didn't do anything good for him.

Knocking softly on the door, he waited a few moments. When it was obvious Martin wasn't going to get up and open the door he reached for the doorknob. To his surprise, the door was unlocked. With the way Martin was acting, you would think he would lock his door.

He opened the door slowly, and wasn't surprised to be on the receiving end of a glare. He was just sitting there on the bed doing nothing from what it looks like.

"What do you want?" Martin asked, sounding annoyed.

"I wanted to talk to you." Apollo said.

"I don't know why. We have nothing to talk about." Martin said.

Apollo sighed. His son obviously wasn't going to make this talk easy.

"Yes we do. I know you're angry about what happened yesterday I just wanted-"He started but was cut off.

"I wasn't angry. You can do whatever you want." Martin said calmly.

"Really? So you storming off had nothing to do with anger?" He regretted saying the words as soon as they left his mouth. From the anger that flashed in his son eyes he knew he should've thought before he started talking.

"Get out!" His son demanded.

Well this plan was quickly going downhill.

"No, we are going to talk whether you like it or not!" Apollo stated, determination burning in his eyes. He will not give up. He is going to keep trying until he is absolutely sure that he has no hope at trying to build a relationship with him.

"Talk? You want to talk _now_? You had the chance to talk to me my whole life!" Martin shouted. "You had the chance! You just didn't take it. You just ignored me just like every single one of your kids. I guess we weren't on the top of your priority list." He said disdainfully.

Apollo doesn't know what to say to that. Everything he said was true. He had all the opportunities in the world to get to know his kids, but he didn't take them. That, however, does not mean they weren't important to him.

"You're right. There were so many times I could've came down to see you guys but I didn't. That does not mean that I don't love you guys." He said truthfully.

His son snorted at this. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself.

"When is this little _trip_ over?" He asked.

"What?" Apollo asked, confused at the sudden question.

"I want to know when we are leaving. I don't even know why you even brought me here when you obviously don't know how to _bond _with your own kids." Martin states.

"We're not leaving until we work out our problems." Apollo says.

"Problems? What problems? If I hadn't said anything about mom that day you wouldn't even be here! You would still be ignoring me and living your life!" Apollo winced, another hurtful truth. He would probably be doing something else today if his son didn't say anything to him that day.

"Is that what this is about? What I said?" Martin asked, noticing the look on his face.

Apollo didn't answer him. He would probably make it even worse if he did. He didn't need to answer him though. He face seems to have given his answer.

"So what, this is like some guilt thing? You wanted to do this so you can be forgiven? I should've known you didn't really care. This is just to relieve your conscience." Martin said with as much hate as he could.

Apollo was startled at that. He didn't expect coming in the room would cause this.

"No, you're wrong, I do care-"He didn't get to finish.

"No you don't! You want me to forgive you for what you did so you can feel better. Fine! I forgive you. I forgive you for abandoning me and my mom. I forgive you for not being there when I got bullied by other kids. I forgive you for not protecting me when monsters attacked me. I forgive you for making my life a living hell! I forgive you. Now can you please take me back!?" His son shouted. Tears were flowing down his face. He didn't want to be there.

Apollo felt the tears in his eyes begin to build up. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know what to say. He's just lost. Only two days and his son can't stand to be in the same room as him. It also didn't help with him bringing up some reasons he had a hard life because of him. Despite all of this, he still has to try.

Taking a deep breathe to compose himself he says "No, we are not leaving until we fix this." He couldn't say anymore in fear that he'll start crying. So he walked calmly out the door, closing it softly behind him. He stood there for a few seconds before he heard what sounded like a whimper from the other side.


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright I'm not so confident about this chapter, but here it is.**

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Martin was just sitting down in the living room watching TV but he really wanted to leave. He contemplated running away, but quickly banished that idea. He could never outrun a god when they can just appear with just a snap of their fingers.

He felt a little guilty for what he said to his father. The look on his face made him feel bad. He never saw his dad look so devastated. Maybe he should apologize? He shook his head at that. It's his dad's fault. If he didn't feel the need to "bond" they wouldn't even be in this situation.

He doesn't know why he is thinking these things lately. Wasn't it his dream to spend time with his dad as a kid? What happened?

Thinking about all the nights he cried himself to sleep hoping his dad would show up brings back painful memories. In the end, his father always disappointed him. No matter how much he begged for him to come get him, no matter how long he has been waiting, his dad never came. That is one thing he probably will never forgive.

He's surprised his dad didn't show up and bother him to go somewhere today. He will admit, he is tempted to do all the things his father suggested they do. It sucks being almost exactly like the person you want to hate.

And maybe he shouldn't have been thinking of his dad, because at that moment he walked in and sat down beside him. After a few minutes of this Martin became uncomfortable. It was too quiet, even with the TV on. Should he say something? Maybe he should just get up and leave? Yeah, that was a good idea. Just as he was getting up his father decided to talk. _Great. _He thought.

"What do you want to do today?" He asked.

Martin raised his eyebrows. How was he going to get out of this one? A simple "no" won't work.

"I don't know." That was the best thing he could come up with? He mentally rolled his eyes at himself.

"Come on. I know you can think of something." His dad insisted.

Sometimes he forgets how annoyingly persistent his father could be. If he keeps it up he's going to piss him off again, eventually.

"I don't really want to do anything. Why don't you just go and do something without me?" He asked. He's been dying to leave this hellhole since he arrived, but he would rather be there alone than with his dad.

"We are here on this trip together, so we should be doing things _together_." His dad said. "If you don't want to go out today we could always do something in here."

"I'd rather not." He said.

"Look, I don't want to fight with you right now. So we're either going out or sit here and talk." His dad said.

_How many times do we have to talk for him to finally give up?_ He thought to himself.

He sighs. He might as well get it over with now. Maybe this time he could convince his dad to take him back.

"What do you want to talk about now?" He asked.

"About the last time we talked. I want to clarify some things with you." His dad said.

He kept quiet. Although all he wanted to do was get up and leave. He could endure a few more minutes of him talking.

"I just want you to know that what you think about me is not true. It's true that I have been absent in you and your brothers and sisters lives, but I still love you guys, I want to get to know all of you guys. That includes you." He says.

A huge part of him seriously doubts what his father is saying. However, a small part, the little kid still waiting for his father, really wants to believe him.

"I just want to have a relationship with you. It's better for me to try with you guys now than to never try at all." His dad said.

He remains silent, even though what his dad said brought hope that he really wanted to actually be a father.

"I'm sorry about everything I caused to happen to you. I really didn't expect your life to be so hard. If I knew, I would have done something about it a long time ago." He said.

_So he really didn't care about me?_ Martin mentally questioned. It was bad enough that he didn't know what hardships he caused for his life, but to not even check up on him? That stung.

He nods his head, trying to stop himself from crying. It's really annoying him at how much he's crying lately. That plan wasn't working since he felt something wet and hot sliding down his cheeks. He furiously wiped them away. Too bad his dad saw them before he could prevent it from happening.

"What's wrong? What did I say now?" His dad asked exasperated. "This is why I'm no good at talking, I always screw things up." He started to rant. He silently agreed with him. Maybe his dad should learn to shut his mouth sometimes, he just makes things worse.

"It's nothing." He lies. "I'm going back to my room alright?" He didn't wait for an answer. All he wants to do is leave.

He can hear his father calling for him but he just ignores him. He never should have left his room, but he knows that wouldn't work. His dad is as old as dirt, patience is one thing he probably has mastered by now and time is one thing he doesn't need. He could've waited for a lifetime and he probably wouldnt notice.

No matter what he doesn't see the both of them will ever have a relationship. Maybe he can try with one of the others. He just can't forgive his dad.

That night he cried himself to sleep. This is all emotionally draining for him.


End file.
